Tiana, my daughter who lives with Down syndrome, attended We Day with some of her friends and classmates this past Wednesday. Karina Leblanc was one of the celebrity speakers who came to meet the group Tiana was with.
Along with a photo together, Tiana and Karina were able to share their stories of receiving Olympic medals, Karina as an Olympian for the Canadian women’s soccer team and Tiana as a Special Olympian for rhythmic gymnastics. It was a special moment of sharing common ground across all abilities.
Jean Vanier, in his August letter to the L’Arche Communities worldwide, wrote: “God is watching over us all because he wants to see the poor and those who are weakest integrated into the human family: they have … an important place in order to re-enchant humanity and restore hope in a world that is sometimes so anxious and so unstable due to violence and fear.” When we enter into relationship “… with all those who are weak and humiliated, those who are rejected and seen as having no value… we discover that in living a genuine relationship with them, they transform us, humanize us and draw us closer to God.”
I would hope that we may all have such life giving experiences. Please keep Jean Vanier in your prayers as he has been in hospital since Oct. 10 and will have surgery to have a stent to support the functioning of his heart.
